Basic Principles of the Body Ecology Diet

The Body Ecology “diet” was developed by Donna Gates to improve health, with weight loss as a pleasant side effect. This statement appears on the cover of The Body Ecology Diet: “A must-read for anyone who wants to be healthy or who is exhausted, overweight or has digestive problems, candida, viral infections, cancer or neurological disorders such as ADD, Autism, Alzheimer’s, and Multiple Sclerosis.”

What Are Cultured Vegetables?

One of the cornerstones of the Body Ecology Diet (BED), is cultured vegetables, which Donna recommends eating daily. She refers to cultured vegetables as “signature…super foods”. Cultured vegetables are vegetables naturally fermented by friendly lactobacilli, which are present on the surface of all living things.

Cabbage is commonly used, or a mixture of vegetables including cabbage, although “marinara style” cultured vegetables are mixtures of mostly root vegetables. One of the basic BED cultured vegetable recipes calls for 3 heads of green cabbage and 6 large carrots to be shredded in a food processor. Also included are 6 cloves of garlic and a 3 inch piece of ginger.

Although the primary ingredient of cultured vegetables is cabbage, smaller quantities of dark, leafier greens can also be included, such as kale, collards, mustard green, or turnip greens. I like the contrast of the crunchy cabbage and chewy dark green.

Other common ingredients added to cabbage-based cultured vegetables include onions, squash, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, lemons, limes, celery, peppers, and Granny Smith apples. Many cultured vegetable recipes include fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, marjoram, lemon balm, and oregano. Herbs add not only taste, but additional nutrients. Another way to boost the nutritional value of the cultured vegetables is to add sea vegetables such as wakame, hijiki, arame, and dulse.

Vegetable mixtures are tightly sealed in glass or stainless steel containers, with a rubber ring seal and clamp down lid. Vegetables are kept at room temperature, about 72 degrees, for about 3 days.

Lacto-Fermentation Process and Benefits

Starches and sugars present in vegetables and fruits are converted into lactic acid. The lactic acid acts as a preservative and deters bacteria that would decay or rot the produce. When clean shredded or chopped vegetables are kept at room temperature for several days, in a sanitary, airtight container, the lactobacilli and enzymes naturally present on the vegetables will multiply.

Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, in Nourishing Traditions, seem to agree. She notes “The proliferation of lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increases vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anticarcinogenic substances. Their main bi-product, lactic acid, not only keeps vegetables and fruits in a state of perfect preservation but also promotes the growth of healthy flora throughout the intestine.”

Donna recommends the addition of Body Ecology culture starter to ensure you are beginning with robust strains of healthy bacteria. Many recipes for cultured vegetables on the web and in books call for BED culture starter. Many websites besides the BED site sell the BED starter.

The resultant cultured vegetables are super foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, and “good bacteria”. Fermented foods such as cultured vegetables aid digestion, get rid of toxins, eliminate yeast, and restore and maintain a healthy internal environment in our bodies. Cultured vegetables are crucial in alkalizing the body, making it a less hospitable environment for diseases, including cancer.

Nourishing Traditions Perspective on Lacto-Fermentation

History of Lacto-Fermentation

The Greeks recognized the changes that took place with lacto-fermentation, and called the phenomenon alchemy. The Romans described lacto-fermented sauerkraut in ancient texts, praising taste and medicinal qualities.

The primary fermented food in Europe is sauerkraut. Beets, turnips, and cucumbers are also traditional fermented foods. Fermented lettuces, peppers, and green tomatoes are common fermented foods in Poland and Russia. Lacto-fermented cabbage, carrots, onion, turnip, squash, eggplant, and cucumber are common in the Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cultures. Korean kimchi is typically eaten daily. Likewise, the Japanese usually eat fermented vegetable with each meal.

Modern is Not Always Good

So can’t I just buy some pickles and eat them with meals to cash in on all the great health benefits of fermented foods like cultured vegetables? Actually, no! Commercial products are prepared with salt, and vinegar, and are pasteurized, effectively neutralizing any beneficial bacteria.

Fallon and Enig suggest that the wide-spread practice of pasteurization has contributed to compromised intestinal flora, making us more vulnerable to pathogens and disease.

You can add a variety of vegetables to cabbage for culturing. Root vegetables and dark greens are commonly added. | Source

My Purple Cabbage and Condiments

My Experience with Cultured Vegetables

I first tried commercially prepared cultured vegetables. I don’t recall where my first order was from. They were in pouches, in a decent variety such as sauerkraut, carrots, beets, and diakon. They were expensive, and I didn’t like the texture. I later placed several orders through Immunitrition. They have three vegetable combinations, and the texture was much crisper. They are about $20 per quart.

That’s expensive in my book, although the Immunitrition vegetables are tightly packed, so a quart goes pretty far. Donna recommends at least ½ cup of cultured vegetables a day. I’d say a tightly packed quart equals about double that in typical food servings.

Ultimately, I started making my cultured vegetables. I don’t know that I would have braved it on my own, but my sister was game, and helped me. Donna goes on and on about how “delicious” the cultured vegetables are, as do other proponents. Okay, I do not think they are delicious. I say not great, not awful. I think of them like medicine. They don’t have to taste great.

I can’t really tell a lot of difference in the taste of the different combinations, though apparently most proponents do. To me, they are all sour. It really helps to add some unrefined apple cider vinegar, stevia, Himalayan or Celtic sea salt, and healthy oil. I usually add ½ to 1 tablespoon of 2 different oils, such as hemp, flax seed, Udo’s 3-6-9, or pumpkin seed oil. The pumpkin seed oil is dark and rich, and tastes really good. I get it from Immunitrition also.

We made some “marinara style” cultured vegetables. They were firm textured, and made with a great variety of root vegetables. So why didn’t I like them? The marinara vegetables seemed too “rich” to me. I know that sounds crazy, since it’s just vegetables. Too dense? Too heavy? I just haven’t found the right word.

The Versatile Vegetable

The best recipes are from The Versatile Vegetable. My favorite is the Ruby Recipe, which has purple cabbage and red beets. With the “doctoring up” above, it reminds me of German purple cabbage. I appreciate the texture aspects of some of the combinations. I like the chewy contrast of the dark greens added in, such as in the “Bitter But Delicious” recipe. I like the crispness of the corn in the “Summer Succotash”, but for some reason, my cabbage was mushy.

I highly recommend TheVersatile Vegetable, available on The Body Ecology website. It has great tips for making sure your cultured vegetables retain their crispiness. It covers many vegetable topics with recipes, including sea vegetables.

Talk to Your Health Care Provider

This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you think you might want to try The Body Ecology Diet, pick up a copy of the book, and do your homework, including talking to your doctor.

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17 comments

vespawoolf 3 months ago from Peru, South America

I make my own cultured vegetables. I have a large jar of sauerkraut in the storage area and a small jar of cucumbers on the kitchen countertop. Eating them helps my digestive and skin issues. I've never heard of pumpkin seed oil. I'll have to check it out! I like the idea of the way you doctor up the veggies so they taste better. Thank you for sharing.

rmcrayne 5 years ago from San Antonio Texas Author

Thanks for the visit Sally. I haven't made any cultured vegetables in a while. I need to get back with the program!

Sally's Trove 5 years ago from Southeastern Pennsylvania

A few days ago I watched a very long video on making kimchi, and was fascinated by watching the variety of foods and spices that go into it. Unfortunately, the video was not in English, and I'm sure I missed a lot of important info about what goes on in the fermentation process. So thanks for this wonderful Hub on what's happening in that jar! Up and useful.

rmcrayne 6 years ago from San Antonio Texas Author

Thanks Dr Mike. Our culture's over-reliance on prescription and OTC drugs is very frustrating to me.

DrMikeFitzpatrick 6 years ago from Sandpoint, Idaho

my best friend was the executive director of research for the wold naturopathic health orgainizaton-he said everything you did about the time the Internet got going-great stuff for sure. This is what many cultures that don't give people chemical pills all day that don't heal or cure anything. We also keep cabbage juice on hand in case we need it. wonderful work! Dr. Mike

rmcrayne 6 years ago from San Antonio Texas Author

Thanks for the high praise katiem!

katiem2 6 years ago from I'm outta here

Super info on Ecology Diet Cultured Vegetables Fermented Foods as I learned some new and interesting facts. Book marking and voted up. Refreshing THANKS!

I am not big on kimchi, its ok, but rather expensive.... I love cabbage, beats and I love them fermented, or pickled which ever...sauerkraut is sooo yummy with a meal, and fresh beats, cooked, peeled and pickled with onions and ACV are so pretty and tasty, if you add boiled eggs in the pickled beats for a day or so, the juice turns the outside pink and are very pretty cut in half fora dinner party!!!